Robert Codin is a mentor at the Pioneers Club, supporting early-stage founders in building real traction, resilience, and long-term clarity. In this interview, he shares what truly defines progress, what makes founders stand out, and how consistency and mindset shape a startup’s future.
Please briefly introduce yourself and your professional background.
Robert Codin: With more than 15 years of experience, I’m a three-time founder focused on growing and mentoring startups. I’ve mentored over 20 early-stage teams across Europe, mainly in climate, clean, and green tech, working with founders who create genuinely useful solutions for the world.
At BoostlyHub, I help climate tech startups become investor-ready and connect them with aligned capital and pilot projects.
And at Cerc, I lead sustainable construction and architectural projects that demonstrate that green infrastructure works at scale.
At Circ&Lov, I design circular furniture by rescuing discarded office and school pieces and transforming them into bold, joyful new objects.
Three companies, one mission: accelerating meaningful climate innovation across Europe with founders and investors who care about real impact, and have zero tolerance for empty promises.
What personally motivates you to be active as a mentor in the Pioneers Club, and what contribution would you like to make to founders?
Robert Codin: My motivation is simple: I want the work I build and support to create real, positive impact. For founders, that means developing not only business skills but also the mindset needed for the long journey, endurance, discipline, structure, and the ability to stay positive through tough phases. My goal is to help founders grow into the kind of leaders who don’t just call themselves “founders” but truly live the role.
How do you define real progress in the early phase of a startup, and which signals are especially relevant to you?
For me, becoming a founder rests on four pillars:
Vision – an idea with a clear path to becoming real.
Structure – translating that vision into daily actions and weekly metrics.
Discipline – following through on the steps you’ve committed to.
Consistency – the hardest, but essential pillar. Without at least 12 months of sustained, daily/weekly effort, the reality is that most founders will fail. Especially in early stages, these four signals tell me whether a team is genuinely moving forward.
What do you look for when assessing teams that publish their monthly progress in the Pioneers Club?
Robert Codin: I look for clarity, honesty, real weekly traction, and founders who truly listen to feedback and apply it. Progress is consistent movement and informed action. Serious, hungry founders who follow through on what they say become obvious within two interactions.
Which skills do you most often see in young founders, and which competencies are most often missing?
Robert Codin: Most founders come with plenty of vision, curiosity, and a strong “doer” mentality. What’s usually missing is consistency, and the mental resilience to push through difficult phases. Ideas are easy, staying the course is hard.
How do you support teams in connecting technological development, market tests, and customer insights?
Robert Codin: The product-market-fit phase is where everything comes together. I push teams to go outside, talk to dozens, ideally hundreds, of potential customers and partners, and run pilot projects early. Networking is the key, real-world conversations reveal insights founders never anticipated and help ensure that tech development stays aligned with actual market needs. It’s ultimately how early connections grow into long-term customers.
Which challenges do you frequently encounter with early-stage teams, and how do you help them tackle them pragmatically?
The biggest challenges are a lack of consistency and difficulty navigating rough phases. I help founders build strong structures and weekly systems so that even on low-motivation days they know exactly what to do and can execute efficiently. A successful founder sees mistakes simply as “one more way that doesn’t work,” and keeps going.
What sets the Pioneers Club apart from traditional accelerators or other startup communities?
Robert Codin: The community spirit. You can feel the genuine desire among more than 100 members, founders and mentors alike, to help each other succeed. It’s the “village” every founder needs, because, just like raising a child, building a startup requires collective support.
What role does transparency about real progress play for investors and companies?
Robert Codin: Transparency is fundamental. Startups move fast, and unclear updates waste time, distort expectations, and can destabilize founders. Clear, honest reporting creates trust and accelerates decision-making for everyone involved.
What are the most important factors that determine whether a team will succeed or fail long-term?
Robert Codin: Beyond product quality, vision, market fit, and financials, the deciding factor is always the founders. Investors don’t invest in ideas, they invest in teams. Even with funding, a startup will fail if the founders lack the right mindset. The founders’ resilience, clarity, and emotional stability determine the company’s trajectory.
How do you view the opportunities for founders who close their startup but show their skills within the Pioneers Club?
Robert Codin: I strongly believe in lifelong learning. If being a founder isn’t your ideal long-term role, that’s perfectly fine. Many people contribute far more, and thrive, in innovation teams, corporate ventures, or other leadership roles. The Pioneers Club creates visibility for those skills and opens valuable new paths.
How have your own experiences and perspectives on entrepreneurship changed throughout your career, and what developments are you watching closely today?
Robert Codin: I started with pure enthusiasm and drive. Over time, through many difficult phases, I reached what I call my “founder maturity.” I learned that mindset matters as much as business acumen. If you’re not prepared for the long road, expertise alone won’t save you. Being a founder is a marathon, not a sprint.
Today, I’m closely watching the shift toward more meaningful businesses, and the growing demand for real impact over hype.
What do you wish for the future of the European startup scene, and what contribution can the Pioneers Club make?
Robert Codin: I hope to see a stronger focus on meaningful companies, businesses that don’t just make money but also make a difference. We need more courage from founders and lighter, smarter legislation to remove unnecessary bureaucracy. The Pioneers Club can play a major role by fostering transparent, impact-driven, founder-supportive ecosystems across Europe.
Thank you Robert Codin for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
